Because Of Love
by V. Sourweather
Summary: He hadn't thought about the consequences of his actions, and here he was, on a path leading to death. Warning: This is set in Ancient Greece, and only contains OCs. Also, references to murder and adultery, and execution. [Written for QLFC - Round 7]


_Summary:__ He hadn't thought about the consequences of his actions, and here he was, on a path leading to death._

_Rating:__ T_

_Warnings:__ References to adultery and murder, execution. Also, this is set in Ancient Greece, with only OCs._

_Disclaimer:__ I don't own anything, everything belongs to J.K. Rowling. I don't make any money out of this story._

_.:._

_Written for:_

_**[QLFC - Round 7]**_

_**Team:**__ Tutshill Tornados_

_**Position:**__ Keeper_

_**Prompt:**__ Write about the consequences of breaking a rule or law._

_Word count (without the A/N): 1,305 words_

* * *

_**Because Of Love**_

Agon was not a stupid man; he knew he had taken it too far. But seeing _her_ with _him_—seeing his wife with his best friend… there was only so much he could take.

He was aware of the consequences. The law said that you could only use this… binding magic to harm others, never to kill them. But he'd always refused to use it, always had to hide the fact that he didn't need it.

When he'd seen her with someone else—no, not just _someone else_, his _best friend_—he'd felt such a rage coursing through his veins. He hadn't been able to control himself, and he'd drawn out the wand he kept hidden beneath his robes (he had to, no one knew _that_ kind of magic, his mother had taught him that well enough), and… he couldn't even picture their still bodies on the floor without crying.

He didn't know what crossed his mind at that time. He swore to the gods, he didn't know. He just… said the words, and regretted it barely two seconds later. He'd wished death upon his best friend and his wife. So perhaps he deserved it all.

He remembered now, as he lay locked away in this morbid cell. He remembered how he used to love Helene and Alexios.

He'd fallen in love with Helene a long time ago, when he was just a teenager. He was an adult now, and he still loved her the same way. Perhaps a little too obsessively, but frankly, he didn't care. And she didn't either… or so he'd thought. Was it his fault that she had gone to Alexios for comfort? Was it all on him?

And Alexios… his best friend, his brother. Alexios had always been by his side, even when he was wrong or when he let his inner violence flood him, so how could he think for one second that his best friend would take his wife away from him?

It was just… the way Alexios held Helene when he'd seen them together in the street, in front of the arch that led into their garden. They couldn't have been just friends. It was… It was as if they were embracing like they were lovers. And his blood… his blood had boiled in his veins and everything had happened so fast…

He grabbed several strands of his dirty blonde hair and pulled. Pain… It hurt. But it hurt far less than knowing he was responsible for the death of Helene and Alexios. It hurt far less than knowing that because of him, wizards and witches like him and his mother were… out in the open.

Everything they didn't know… they killed. And they didn't know people like him… until today.

The guilt was probably the worst. And he felt like the world was weighing down on his shoulders because it was all his fault. He would certainly spend the whole of eternity in the depths of Tartarus.

He jumped up when he heard steps falling in the dust. He felt weak, almost like his muscles hadn't been used in weeks when it was only a few days he'd spent in his cell.

And he stared at the person on the other side of the metal bars. His mother. The one who'd taught him everything. The one who'd taught him kindness, self-control, _love_. She was here, on the right side of the world. She was here. She hadn't been killed, or worse.

"Agon," she said slowly, almost as if she was calling a stranger. And maybe she was. Maybe he'd become a stranger. Her son, the Agon she knew, would never have been able to kill someone.

"Mother," he answered.

"I have five minutes only, Agon. But it will be enough to tell you what I have to say."

He feared the worst, he really did. But the worst was nothing compared to what she told him next.

"Is this all you've learned from my lessons?" she asked. "To kill, to murder people? To lift the veil that we created to keep us safe? Is this what you've chosen to do with your powers?"

He shrank away from her. It hurt to look at her because the truth was… She looked like him. He resembled her, he really did, and it hurt to glance up at her because it felt as if he was on the other side of the barred door, and he _wasn't._

"I didn't mean to kill them, Mother. I promise. But they were together, and I couldn't help it. You've always known me, you know I'm too impulsive. I've always been that way."

"I never thought you would betray us like this," she seethed, and her blue eyes pierced through his skin and it felt as if she was rummaging inside of him, searching for_ something_. "Have you even thought about the consequences of your actions?"

"Not at the moment," he confessed, lowering his head and looking shamefully at his scorched hands.

"You should have," she retorted dryly.

They both stayed silent, before his mother sighed and put a hand on the bars. It looked like a peace offering, so he slowly walked closer to the bars and gently put a hand over hers.

"They will kill you for this," she announced grimly. "They wouldn't have if you hadn't proved you're… different. You would have spent the rest of your days in prison, but at least you'd still be alive and I might have been able to see you again. Instead, you acted foolishly and I will have to see you _die_. Do you understand why I'm upset now?"

"I knew they would kill me," he replied immediately. "But I—"

"You hadn't thought about the consequences this would have on your family, did you?" she interrupted him.

"I hadn't. But maybe I deserve this. I killed Helene and Alexios."

She replied with a sad smile, "The things we do because of love…"

He opened his mouth to try and answer, but the guard posted at the entrance of the prison walked in and struck the dusted floor with his spear. They both jumped at the sudden sound, and when the guard ordered his mother to walk away from him, she smiled once more.

"Don't worry about us, my son. We will be fine."

She didn't say he wouldn't be, and he was grateful for it, for he needed no reminder of his fate.

* * *

When he faced the light of the sun again, it blinded him and he wondered if that was intentional. His head was aching now, and he couldn't see anything—they didn't need to cover his eyes. He just felt them, whoever it was, tying him up to something.

He guessed he was on the main square, but he couldn't know. Everything was blurry and too bright to discern.

He didn't listen to the speech, and he only caught a few words. "Death", "sentence"... Nothing he'd be happy to hear otherwise. He tried to focus on the people around him instead, and he searched desperately for his mother, squinting against the light of the sun.

And then he realized she wasn't there. Of course she wasn't. How could she witness the death of her only son? Because she couldn't help him. She couldn't recite a spell and free him without endangering herself too. And he couldn't help himself either.

He started to panic. How could it all end like this? Why hadn't he thought about what was going to happen? Why did he have to be so… him?

He didn't find the answers to those questions. Instead, he felt pain. An immeasurable pain flooding his chest, and for the brief seconds he had left, he realized no one was talking anymore. And then… darkness. He never thought dying would be so dark.


End file.
